Roku City is now a little emptier, with Paramount naming Jay Askinasi, Roku’s ad sales leader, as CRO.
Today, Paramount, a Skydance Corporation, announced that Askinasi will take on the newly-created chief revenue officer role, leading the company’s monetization strategy and strengthening its position as a “next-generation media company.” He is the latest member of CEO David Ellison’s exec leadership team and starts Nov. 3.
Askinasi will lead the company’s advertising sales team, partnering with product teams, leveraging data-driven insights, cultivating ecosystem partnerships, and driving a unified advertising platform, according to Paramount.
Despite Askinasi leading the company’s ad sales team, ADWEEK has learned that John Halley, president of Paramount Advertising, will stay in his role, reporting to Askinasi.
“We are thrilled to welcome Jay to Paramount as our new CRO. He brings a unique and highly relevant mix of experience across ad tech, platforms, data, agencies, and startups—all grounded in a deep understanding of the media and converged video landscape,” Jeff Shell, president of Paramount, said in a statement.
The executive spearheaded ad sales while at Roku, joining the company in 2024. He previously served as CEO of Publicis Media Exchange U.S., overseeing media investment strategy.
“This is a pivotal moment of transformation for the industry, and Paramount is clearly positioning itself at the forefront of that change,” Askinasi said. “I’m excited to help shape a next-generation digital monetization engine—one that can stand alongside the biggest tech platforms—while preserving the creative excellence and cultural influence that define Paramount’s iconic content.”
In late July, Paramount announced that it was nearing the end of its current upfront cycle, with overall volume consistent with that of last year. The volume was driven by sports and streaming.
“The reality is that if you had a sports portfolio, if you had a big tentpole portfolio, [advertisers] were diving in on that,” Halley told ADWEEK in September. “And actually, stage one of the upfront moved earlier and much faster than we thought because of those coveted properties.”
